1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for identifying an originator based on an image and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to development of the information communication technology, fixed and mobile terminals are allowed to receive various information such as voice, music, image, stock information and weather information.
Also, a wired/wireless communication terminal generally includes a function for identifying an originator before connecting a call made an originator.
For example, a caller ID function is widely used. The call ID function shows a telephone number of an originator so that a recipient identifies the originator before answering a call. That is, the caller ID function displays the telephone number of originator on a display of a recipient's telephone before connecting the call. A recipient can decide whether the call is accepted or not.
Since the caller ID function only shows telephone number of the originator, the recipient may have difficulty to recognize the originator by only the telephone number of originator.
In order to overcome such a shortcoming of the conventional caller ID function, manufactures of terminals introduced a function for displaying a name of originator by comparing the originator's telephone number with telephone numbers registered in a recipient's terminal.
If the originator's telephone number is not registered with the name in the recipient's terminal, the conventional caller ID function cannot display the name of the originator. Although the name of originator is displayed, a user still has difficulty to recognize an originator by only the originator's name if the originator is not familiar with the recipient.
Therefore, a mobile communication service provider provides a service to display text information of originator on a recipient's terminal by previously registering text information of originators in a mobile communication service provider's server so that the recipient identifies the originator by the text information before accepting the call from the originator. However, the service is available for only subscribers registered for the service. Since the text information is generally not the name of originator, the unsolved problem of conventional caller ID function is still remained.
Another call ID function was introduced to easily identify an originator based on an originator's picture. That is, originators are registered in a telephone number list of recipient's terminal with a picture and a name. Then, an originator's telephone number is compared telephone numbers registered in the telephone number list of recipient's terminal when a call is received. If there is the matched telephone number in the telephone number list, the name and picture of the originator are displayed on the recipient's terminal.
Such a conventional picture based caller ID function still has shortcoming. That is, if the originator is not registered in the telephone number list of recipient's terminal or if the originator is registered without the picture, the conventional picture based call ID function cannot display the picture of the originator. In order to use the conventional picture based caller ID function, a user must obtain pictures of persons registered in the telephone list. Therefore, the conventional picture based caller ID function cannot be applied to persons who are not familiar.
As a conventional image based caller identifying method, a system for identifying an originator by displaying the originator's image was introduced. The conventional system obtains an image of originator at a transmitting terminal, transmit the obtained image to a receiving terminal through a wired/wireless communication link, and a recipient identifies the originator based on the received image of originator before accepting a call made by the originator.
One of schemes disclosed by the conventional system encodes an originator's image at a transmitting terminal, the encoded image is transmitted to a receiving terminal and the receiving terminal decodes and displays the encoded image on a display of the receiving terminal. In another scheme introduced by the conventional system, feature characteristics are extracted from an originator's face image at a transmitting terminal, and the extracted feature characteristics are transmitted to a receiving terminal. Then, the receiving terminal compares the received feature characteristics with images stored in the receiving terminal and displays an image matched with the received feature characteristics as a face image of the originator to identify the originator.
Since the former scheme directly displays the face image of originator, a recipient can identify an originator instantly and accurately. However, a communication service system may waste resources to transmit a still image from a transmitting terminal to a receiving terminal before connecting a call. In case of the latter scheme, the communication service system may not waste resources since the feature characteristics are only transmitted from the receiving terminal to the transmitting terminal. That is, less amount of data are transmitted before connecting the call. However, supplementary functions and devices for identifying and extracting the feature characteristics from the originator's face are required. Also, there is great possibility to occur errors to recognize the originator's face according to the performance of terminal that recognizes the originator's face.